Improvement in harvesters



J. H. ELWARYD.

Harvester.

3 Sheets-Sheet 1.

No. 42,532. Patented April 26, 1864.

' 3 Sheets-Sheet 2. J. H. ELWARD.

Harvester.

Patented April 26, 1864.

TERS. Pholo-Lrllmgrnplmy, Wmdnnglvn. n c

3 Sheets-Sheet3.

J H. ELWARD'.

Harvester.

Patented April 26, 1864.

- WL Zh/Q we 9 N. FUERS. Plmlolilhogmplmr Washinmun. D.C.

lINrTED JOHN H ELWARD, OF OTTAWA, ILLINOIS, ASSIGNOR T0 HIMSELF AND W. H. VV. OUSHMAN, OF SAME PLACE.

IMPROVEMENT IN HARVESTERS.

Specification forming partof Letters Patent No. 42,532, dated April 26, 1863.

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that 1, JOHN H. ELWARD, of Ottawa, in the county of La Salle and State of Illinois, have invented certain new and useful being had to the accompanying drawings, in

which--- Figure 1 represents a top view of said ma chine. Fig. 2 represents a side view of the same. Fig. 3 represents a side view of the gearing connected with one of the drivingwheels. Fig. at represents a top view ol'the cutting apparatus. Fig. 5 represents a longitudinal vertical section through the finger-bar. Fig. Grepresents alongitudinal vertical section through the guard-finger. Fig. 7 represents a longitudinal vertical section through the finger-bar, sbowin g the several parts of the machine in an end view. Fig. 9 represents a longitudinal vertical section through theframe, showingthe gearing-reel and platform in aside view. Fig. 10 represents a cross-section through the platform.

My invention relates to the application to harvesting-machines of a hinged finger-bar, which is bent at right anglesand in which the horizontal part constitutes the fingenbeam proper, while the vertical part serves as lever and reel-stand, by means of which the cutting apparatus, reel, and platform are simultaneously raised by the driver on his seat.

It alsorelates to the application of the lozenge-shaped hollowsickle-blades, in which the front edges cut the grain or grass, while the rear and inner edges serve to clear the guard of all grass or other material which tends to clog the cutting apparatus.

It also relates to the method of adjusting the height of the outer end of the finger-beam by means of set-screws, which pass through the flanges of the divider-shoe.

It also relates to the method of pivoting the shoe which supports the finger-bar to the frame, and make it adjustable thereon.

Itfurtherrelatestothearrangementsofascat for the grain-binders at the sideof the platform, in combination with the concave and binding notches in the side of the grain-platform.

It also relates to certain combinations of the gearing with the driving-wheels, by which I am enabled to adjust'the velocity of the cutter-bar and to cause said cutters to vibrate without interruption while the machine is turned.

To enable others skilled in the art to make and use my invention, 1 will proceed to de scribe its construction and operation.

A represents the frame of the machine, to which the driving-wheels B C and the gearing of the machine are connected.

D represents the finger-beam.

E represents the platform of the machine.

The connection between the frame A and the finger-beam D isimade by means of the shoe F, which is hung to the fore end of the main frame by means of the arms G and the rear end oftheframe by means of standard H. 7

All these can be adjusted so as to raise or lower this inner end of the finger-beam, by means of adjusting-holes 1 2 3, &e., in either of which the fastening-pins a b may be inserted. The shoe F is provided with standards G, to which the finger-beam D is hinged by means of a pin, 0. i

The finger-beam D consists of an iron bar bent at right angles. The horizontal part serves as the linger-beam proper, and the guard-fingers of the cutting apparatus are secured to it. The vertical part D serves as a lever to operate the finger-beam and its attachments and to swing it on the pivot 0, so as to elevate its outer end to pass over obstructions, and as the lever D serves as reel-standthe reel and platform are raised simultaneously with the finger-bar without changing thereby the relative positions of the said parts. This raising and lowering of finger-beam D by means of lever D is performed by the driver on his seat, and for this purpose I locate the drivers seat I at the rear and outer side of of the frame A, and at such a point that the lever D, when depressed, shall clear the rear edge of the drivers seat. l/Vhen the machine is used for mowing, and no platform or reel is attached thereto, the finger-beam D can be thrown into a vertical position by depressfrom its center.

wheel M is pivoted to plate It by means of a ing the lever D into a horizontal one for the purpose of .moving the machine from one lo cality to the other.

K is a cast-iron angular piece, which is secured in theangleof the finger-bar to strengthen it, and in which the holes are formed through which the pin passes. The standards G',as well as the piece K, are provided with adj usting-holes 5 6 7, &c., by means of which the inner end of the finger-bar may set higher or lower in said standard.

The outerend of thefinger-beamis supported by the shoe L of the divider by means of the two vertical screws (1, which pass through the horizontal flanges e, and the end of the fingerhar is raised or lowered by turning said screws. Thus the finger-beam D is raised or lowered horizontally to out the grain at the desired height by adjusting the inner and outer end of thefinger-beam, as described.

By means of the adjusting-holes 5 6 7 in the standards G, I am enabled to raise the inner end of the finger-beam without raising the shoe F. This is a very essential feature in reaping-machines, for when the said inner end 18 raised the finger-bar can swing freelyvon its pivot c, and can rise and descend in conformity .with the undulations or unevenness of the ground over which the driving-wheels or the grain-wheels may have to pass. Another advantage in this construction is that the pivot 0, on which the finger-beam turns, can be raised to such a point as is most suitable to the proper performance of work of a certain nature, and when said pivot is raised the tinger-bar can swing freely up and down without interrupting the proper working of the sicklebar 10; The relative position of the sickle-bar p and pin 0 with the crank-wheel is thereby not changed,-because the pin 0 so arranged acts like an eccentric, and the sickle-bar, rising and descending, forms a part of a circle.

M represents the caster-wheel, which supports the grain end of theplatform and cutting apparatus. It is supported by the swivel-arm j, which is pivoted at g to the shoe L.. Its

' outer end is a circular plate, h, which is provided with a number of holes, 4), equidistant The bracket-plate N of the screw, 70, and has a pin, m, which fits into one ot' the holes t'. By loosening the screw is the pin m may be inserted and secured into either or the holes t, and thus the caster-wheel and grain end of the machine may be raised or lowered.

My cutting apparatus consists of the guardfingers n, the vibrating sickle-bar 0 and its sickles q, and the stationary sickle-bar p and its stationary sickles 1'. The upper part, 1, of the guard-finger is closed; but the lower part, 2, is open, as represented in the drawings, for the purpose of discharging grass or such material as may clogthecuttingappa-ratus. The shape of the sickle-blades is represented in the drawings. Each blade is adouble cutter having two the brace s, and horizontally by shifting the points-onein front,the otherin the rear-'-from each of which the cutting-edges3diverge. The blade is hollow, and has inner double cuttingedges 4. In the cutting apparatus used heretofore the vibrating sickle operates against stationary blades of the guard-fingers, and the sharpening ot' the guard-finger is a very difficult operation. I therefore dispense with the use of cutting-edges on the guard-fingers and use a stationary sickle similar in construction to the vibrating sickle, against which the latter operates. This stationary sickle is secured to the guard-fingers by means of screws or otherwise, and when its edges become dull 'it can be removed with facility and can be sharpened. The stationary sickles are so arranged that the positions of their inner openings shall correspond with those of the openings on the lower part of the guard-fingers. When this cutting apparatus is operated the front edges of the vibrating sicklesq cut the grain against the front edges of the stationary sickles 0*, while the rear and inner edges of the vibrating sickles operate against the similar edgesof the stationary sickles, and cut upall grass or other matters which might get into the cutting apparatus and discharge it through the lower hollow part, 5, of the guard-linger.

To make this machine effectual as a combined reaper and mower, it is desirable that when used as a mower the finger-beam shall be shorter than when used as a reaper, as'the sickle then vibrates with a higher velocity. For this purpose I make the stationary sickle-bar and the finger-bar jointed by securing thereto the outer piece, X, by means of screw 2, or otherwise, so as to make it detachablewhen the machine is used for mowing, and attach theretoashort end piece to make the necessary connection with the shoe L. By this, arrangement I dispense with the use of two sets of cutting apparatus, as used in combined reapers and mowers heretofore.

As above stated, the vertical arm D of the finger-beam serves the double purpose of a lever and reel-stand. The horizontal braces on said arm is supported by the pin it, and thesliding bearinguof the reel-axle is seton the brace s, and is secured thereto by means of' the setscrews 7). Thus the position of the reel can be adjusted vertically by raising or depressing bearing a on said brace, and by securing it by set-screw v.

The platform of the harvester is secured to the frame in the following manner: The outer end of the front beam, 0, of the platform passes through an aperture in the side of the shoe L, as represented in Figs. 1 and 2, and is supported by said shoe. The side beam, P, o the platform extends forward under the sho F, and is secured to the brace G by means 0 the staple w. The end of the beam P whichi within the staple 'w is rounded, so that th platform can swing on it like a pivot when th grain end of the same is raised or lowered These two attachments, together with the rear caster-wheel Q,fullysupport the platform, and and it can be detached from the machine with the greatest facility by lirst detaching the staple w and by withdrawing the beam 0 from its support in the shoe L.

The inner side of the platform is so constructed that the grain may be readily bound in sheaves on said platform after it has been raked by the man on the raker-seat R. For this purpose I construct a binder-seat, U, on which two men can sit, at the inner side of the platform. The platform near its inner end is raised and terminates in a concave, S,in which the grain lies and wherein it is compressed by hand by the binders.

T represents two notches cut in the inner end of the platform, through which the bands forbinding the sheaves are passed. In binding the grain the two binders,.while sitting 011 the seat, compress the sheaves and bind them. The weight of the men sitting on the binders seat acts as a counterpoise to the weight of the outer end of the platform and cutting apparatus, and therefore aids to balance it, their weight acting on a short, lever of the length from the seat U to the caster-wheel Q, while the other weight acts on lever of the length equal to the distance of thewheel Q from the shoe L. Neither does the weight of the men on the binder-seat U interfere with the free action of the lever D, as said binder-seat is in line with the turning-pivot of said lever.

The driveron his seat I can raise the cutting apparatus, platform, and reel by means of the lever D, as above described, without changing thereby the relative position of these devices and without interrupting their operation, and the raker, as well as the binders, may re main in his seat when the platform is raised.

V represents the crank-wheel, which operates the cutter-bar 0. It receives its motion from the pinion so, which is secured to the shaft of the crank-wheel. This pinion is connected with either of the driving-wheels B and O in the following manner: The bevel-wheel y is secured to the side of the driving-wheel B and operates the pinion a, which is secured to the shaft 1), on which the gear-wheel c is also secured, and the latter operates the pinion m. The bevel-wheels d f are secured to the side of the driving-wheel O, and operate respectively the pinions g and h on the shaft 2" and the gear-wheel m, which latter also operates the pinion :0. Either of the gear-wheels c and 'mcan be set in gear with the pinion m by shifting their shafts longitudinally by means of the lever n; I,

When the machine is to be used as a mower it is desirable that the sickle-blades should be operated faster than when used as a reaper, and either of the pinions a h may be set in gear with the gear-wheels y and f; but when the machine is used for reaping it is not necessary to use the sickle at a high speed, and I use the pinion g in gear with the bevel-wheel d when moving forward or tnrningto the right; but on turning to the left the outer end of the sickle moves so much faster than the inner end, and the outer wheel being comparatively at rest, I throw the pinion 9 out of gear from the bevel-wheel f and connect the pinion a with the bevel-wheel g by turning the lever n, thereby increasing the speed of the sickle-bar sufficiently to operate properly.

When the machine is used as a reaping-ma chine it is supported by the driving-wheels B and G and by the caster-wh els Q and M, and needs no other supports while it is drawn over the field. The tongue therefore need not be rigidly attached to the frame A, and the horses are relieved from the weight of the machine; but in mowing the platform and caster-wheel Q are removed, and the front end of the machine must be held down to prevent the shoe F from dragging heavily on the ground. I therefore so arrange the tongue thatit maybe rigidly secured to the frame when used in mowing or that it may be yielding when used in reapin For this purpose two braces of the tongue A are secured to the frame by means of screws, and the rear end of the pole is attached'to the frame by means of the bolt 0, which passes through the slot 0" of the pole, and permits the latter to yield vertically; but when the pole is to be attached to the frame rigidly I secure it by means ot'the boltp,which passes through the hole .9.

Having thus fully described the nature of my invention, what I claim herein as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

1. The application to harvesting-machines of hinged finger-bar bent at right angles, in which the horizontal part constitutes the finger-bar proper, while the vertical part serves the purpose of a lever and reel-stand, substantially in the manner and for the purposes described.

2. In combination with a bent fiinger-bar herein described, the shoe F, when constructed with the rear flange, B, and with the standards G and bottom plate, F, substantially in the manner herein described.

8. The method herein described of raising the inner end ofthe finger-bar within thestandards G of the shoe F, for the purpose ofadjusting its position as well as to give it free play in passing over obstructions, substantially as herein described.

4. The application to harvesting-machines of lozenge-shaped hollow sickle-blades having cutting-edges at their front and rear, and provided with inner cutting-edges, substantially in the manner herein described.

5. In combination with the hollow lozenge shaped cutter-blades attached to the vibrating sickle-bar, similar-formed sickle-blades attached to a stationarysickle-bar,substantially in the manner and for the purpose set forth.

6. In combination with the vibrating and stationary sickle-bars and sickles herein described, the guard-finger n, closed at the top and having a hollowspace at the lower part tially as herein described, the arms G and for the escape of the grass or other material bracket H, for the purpose of securing and adwhieh might choke the cutters, substantially justing the same to the frame, substantially in in the manner herein described. the manner and for the purposes herein de- 7. The screws (7, in'combination with the scribed.

flanges e of the shoe L andthe fingerbar D, J. H. EDWARD.

for raising the outer end of the finger-bar, sub- 1 Witnesses:

stantially in the manner herein described. JULIUS HIRSH,

8. In combination with the shoe F, substan E. COHEN. 

